The present invention relates to a novel device for planting a seed tape in soil and for a novel seed tape.
Seep tape has been employed in the past to aid in the planting of domesticated crops. Seed tape offers the advantage of accurately determining the spacing between seeds and alignment of multiple seeds in rows, a necessary element for automated growing and harvesting equipment. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,143,980 describes a seed tape which is laid horizontally in a furrow and held taunt against sinkage after watering of the same. French Pat. No. 1,102,190 and German Pat. No. 2,164,536 disclose seed tapes using fertilizer which are generally layed in a horizontal manner. U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,197,594, 2,571,491, and 2,812,618 show seed tapes which are laminated. The latter two patents teach the planting of laminated seed tapes in a partially vertical configuration.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,704,544 describes a ground cover sheet which employs a mesh covered by tissue paper in forming a multiplicity of cells for holding seeds. U.S. Pat. No. 3,445,981 describes a laminated seed tape which includes openings through the same for the purpose of advancing the tape through a manufacturing device. None of the prior art describes a device for planting seed tape in individual segments.